When we go "Up North," whether it's to Lake Michigan on the Michigan side or to the lake regions of Wisconsin, a big part of the week is cooking. We pack a cooler of our CSA and garden veggies, bags of other supplies, and make sure to get the freshest lake fish, berries and foods our favorite ...
Book Club Pizzas
My friend Karolyn, inspired by the idea of Cooking With Friends, told me she just held her book club this week with a new twist--they cooked together, too. The members created pizzas as they sat around the table and discussed the month's book.Then, they grilled the pizzas outside. It's a great ...
Sweet Slow Summer
"Mom, can we make cookies?" I have to admit, my first reaction a week after school was out was to list all the things we had to do, before bathtime and booktime and bedtime. But after my younger daughter got a gift of some cool new cookie cutters, one in the shape of a party dress, I had no reason ...
Strawberry Time
Popsicles on the back porch, garlic scapes and radishes in the skillet and lemonade for all. School's out this week and it feels like summer. This is my week too to pick strawberries with friends and kids. Because I like to can jam, I can't get enough strawberries! One of my favorite jams came after ...
Days of Picnics and Potlucks
We're on our fifth of the past week and have many more on the horizon, so it officially feels like summer--the days of picnics and potlucks. As fun as they sound, they can also be stressful--what to bring? Will there be too much of something or not enough of another? If you have a big crowd, I ...
Alone in the Kitchen Making Ravioli
Although I often make homemade pasta, I'd never made ravioli before. So I was thrilled that my friends Katrina and Lauren would join me on this adventure. I prepared the dough the day before and set out my pasta maker and ingredients for mushroom ravioli. But then, Katrina emailed to say her son ...
Shopping For Our Gardens
Last week my friend Suzanne and I went shopping for our gardens at one of our farmer's markets for tomato plants, pepper plants, herbs, and a few random buys like homemade cranberry coconut peanut butter. It really does pay to have your neighbor along, the one who knows just how you are building ...
We Love Lemon
Congratulations to Karen in North Carolina for winning the Lemon Squeezer with her great tip. Karen suggests using lemon juice instead of vinegar in salad dressings. It's especially delicious for spring and summer salads! ...
Baking With Friends
These last few weeks of school are a great time to host a bake sale for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale. You might know that Cooking With Friends is a huge fan of SOS and their goal to end childhood hunger. Now, we have our own Baking With Friends page on the Share Our Strength site: ...
The Cookhouse
There were more than 100 of us at last weekend's Girl Scout "encampment" overnight camping trip. Of course, The Cookhouse was the center of our universe. Like the kitchen is the center of so many of our homes, where people come to be warm, fed and find each other, so was the Cookhouse at our ...